So not long after I declared the Nars Audacious Liptsticks (here) the best formulation I have ever tried, Mac only goes and releases a formula that gives the Audacious collection a run for it’s money. Now I mentioned in my Sephora & Nordstrom Birthday Haul that when the Mac Liptensity Lipsticks launched, I didn’t really give two hoots. I mean come on, how many collections does Mac release in a year? Far too many to count and for me, it kind of dilutes the excitement. It just becomes a regular occurrence, the norm, rather than something that is deemed exclusive (which I’m sure is what they intend). But when the (positive) reviews started to roll in, it was very hard for me to just stand aside and ignore (as much as I wanted to).

Warning: This is not a lipstick for the shy girls and boys. Mac describes it as ‘A Lipstick with enhanced amounts of pigment for extreme colour intensity’. Each lipstick is said to hold ‘intense amounts of pigment, resulting in extreme colour intensity, clarity and vibrancy’ thus ‘pushes the boundaries of colour’. I can certainly vouch for it’s performance in terms of colour payoff. Heck, I can vouch for it’s performance full stop!

Compared to the existing Mac formulations, the Liptensity Lipsticks are like the Cremesheens and Amplifieds combined, but on steroids. These are lipsticks of serious substance and due to it’s thick (not but heavy), ‘gelled base’, they feel incredibly luxurious on the lips. Compared to the Nars Audacious, the Mac Liptensity has a tad less slip to them upon application but that does not take away from the pleasure it is to apply. Just like the Audacious, they provide ‘fully saturated colour with a satin finish in one stroke’, although the Liptensity does have a bit more of a sheen to it whilst the Audacious has more of a demi-matte, satin finish.

Being someone who prefers a nude/MLBB, natural-ish lipsticks especially on a day to day basis, of course I opted for the two nude shades in the collection: ‘Doe’ and ‘Smoked Almond’. Doe is described as a neutral brown although I would argue it’s more of a warm, peachy nude with a brown undertone, or your entry-level brown if you like. This is a great nude shade for those with a light to medium skin (equivalent to NC25-NC40) that won’t make you look sick/dead/washed out (delete as appropriate). Smoked Almond is described as a bright rose brown and whilst I wouldn’t use the word ‘bright’ to describe it (definitely more muted/dusky), it is a warm, mid-tone pink with brown undertones and reminds me a lot of the type of Mac shades I prefer like Cosmo and Twig but especially Fast Play (although Fast Play pulls slightly more pinky-mauve). Both are ideal shades to throw on as an easy, everyday shade and I think will flatter a lot of skin tones.

The lipsticks don’t fail in the longevity department either and can wear easily for several hours without budging. Like with the Audacious Lipsticks, they will even withstand drinking and ‘light’ snacking (don’t expect it to last after a 3 course, grease laden meal though). In terms of how they sit and feel on the lips, I wouldn’t call them moisturising but they do sit incredibly comfortably on the lips without drying them out nor settle into fine lines.

Now if you’re interested in these, you’ll need to be quick as I do believe that they are limited edition (sucks, I know). They are available in a whopping 24 shades (not quite the 40 shade lineup that Nars launched the Audacious with) from natural nudes to bright fuchsias, and from vibrant reds to your deep plums.